My first cousin Larry Caldwell, was a ruffian and was always wanting to beat someone up. Every time I encountered him he wanted to start a fight. He said he wanted to test his strength against mine to see if he was measuring up. I was only one month older than he was but he didn’t want to be left behind in fightin’. He was. He never beat me. I became a Golden Gloves boxing champion and he transitioned into a criminal and the baddest man in the County. 

One night Larry pulled into a local dive known as The County Line. As he was parking his pickup a local thug, with vengeance on his mind, stuck a pistol in Larry’s face and said “I’ve been looking for you, you no good Redneck —— and I am going to send you to your maker right now.” Before  he could pull the trigger, Larry pulled the trigger on his trusty sawed off shotgun that was concealed on the side of his seat. Thone who was going to kill was killed instantly and lay flattened and bleeding in the parking lot. 

Larry left immediately but was almost out of gas so he stopped at John Dinglers little service station to add a small amount of gas. 

Larry hated black people and had told my Dad “UncleThurman, before I die I want to kill me a “nigger.” As Larry started to leave, a black Highway Patrolman pulled in to block the exit. Larry raised his shotgun but the officer had already cocked his 357 Magnum and screamed, “Caldwell don’t do it, don’t do it!” 

In spite of the warning, Larry continued but was stopped by the powerful 357. Three shots tore into the flesh of Larry’s shoulder and chest and almost took his life. Larry had lost again but survived to spend the next few years in prison.

Several members of my family had become born again believers in Jesus Christ, including me, and immediately we were concerned about reaching Larry and other members of our family with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Larry was finally released from prison and I was the first to try to reach him with a clear Gospel message. Our family members had been praying, praying and praying for his salvation. 

On a special occasion, in order to discuss a question I had about how Papa Cassell’s death occurred, Larry and I went to a graveyard adjacent to the Moreland Baptist Church. He was showing me the church that Papa visited, on only one occasion prior to his death. 

Larry deeply loved Papa Cassell who had virtually raised him since childhood. As we stood in the graveyard reminiscing about Papa Cassell, Larry’s eyes became misty. I said, “You really loved Papa didn’t you?” He said, “Of course. He raised me and always loved me no matter what I had done.” I said, “Larry, you know Papa is gone and will not return but you are still here, in spite of all that has happened to you. Do you think God has a purpose in these things for you?“  

Larry responded, “Don’t know if He does or not but I do know I don’t want to talk about it!” I said, “Well I could remain silent but you may never know what happened to me!” Larry responded, “I’ve heard some things about some of y’all becoming religious but that blankety, blankety —— ain’t for me.” I replied, “Larry, Papa is existing right now and is either in Heaven or Hell because we don’t know if he ever accepted Jesus Christ as his savior. I have put my trust in Jesus Larry, and He has given me a peace and security that I never thought existed in anyone.” “Stop that blankety, blankety —— right now Bobby, I don’t want to hear it and I mean it…It gives me the ‘Willies’ and I feel uncomfortable. Stop it right now or you’ll regret it!” 

I did and wondered about Larry for years, but my Sister Brenda stayed in touch and took up the slack where I left off and never relented. Through these persistent telephone conversations, bit by bit, Brenda saw a flicker of interest from Larry. Over and over again Scriptures pertaining to the Gospel and eternal life began to penetrate his skeptical heart. Larry was softening but it was like a jigsaw puzzle… a little here and a little there as is referenced in Isaiah 28:9-16, precept upon precept, line upon line, a little here and a little there. Brenda outlined in terms as simple as possible the Gospel truth about Jesus Christ dying on the Cross for all our sins, being raised from the dead and ascending into heaven.

Larry had never heard or understood that this thing he called a religion was not a religion at all, but was a free gift of eternal life that could neither be earned or deserved but must be taken freely by an un-coerced faith that embraces the person of Jesus Christ. Brenda said, “Every member in our family has been saved by believing in Jesus and that includes even Bobby and your Uncle Thurman.” Larry loved his Uncle Thurman and had always looked up to him as a mentor. 

Larry never knew his father and all he knew was that “he may be living out west somewhere!” There was a huge hole in Larry’s heart over not having a father who loved him. We had many conversations about, one day, going out west to find him. It never happened and it appeared as if Larry was on a sad journey looking for love and acceptance in the wrong places. 

“Brenda, you mean to tell me Uncle Thurman became a Christian too!” Larry asked! Brenda responded “Yes, he did and he became a different man with a different vocabulary and a changed life. He loves to read the Bible and has many new friends he loves and who love him. He is as happy as I have ever seen him.” “I can’t believe it” Larry said  “Uncle Thurman, Bobby and you? I’ll have to think about this. It sounds strange and unbelievable, no one in our family has become a Christian.” 

Some time later during another of Brenda’s persistent phone conversations about Larry’s need to become a Christian, Larry said, “Stop right there Brenda, I have been reading the Bible lately for myself and I saw a verse in the book of John that stunned me. It was like I had been searching and all of a sudden things began to clear up. The verse that opened my eyes was found in John 6:47. ‘Verily, Verily,  I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.’ I thought that since that statement came from the lips of Jesus and, not from a man, I could believe it. 

I read several other verses that began to make sense, like Ephesians 2:8-9, more verses that clearly stated I could receive Jesus and haveeternal life.”

“I can’t believe I am saying this but when I thought about these verses during the next few days, I said to myself, ‘Larry, you would be a total fool to see these things that you have never seen or understood and then walk away and close your mind to such an offer from Jesus Christ Himself.

I finally realized, I needed something much more than myself and my strength and toughness. All of a sudden I became like putty, for the first time in my life, and reached out with all of my heart and received the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Brenda, he is my Savior now and I am just like you, a new child of God with eternal life. I am looking forward to seeing you, Bobby, Uncle Thurman and all of my born again relatives in heaven. I just hope that Papa and the Dad I never knew will be there too.” 

“Thank you Brenda for staying in touch and never giving up on me! Others have, and I don’t blame them, but now I can tell them that they only knew the old Larry and I don’t like him either. But there is a new Larry who is not hard and mean but soft and loving because Jesus Christ has relieved me from me and has given me new life in him. What a difference he has made in me and I wouldn’t give the world for this new and wonderful life. I feel like a new man, Brenda I am happy for the first time in my life and I have found what I have been looking for all of my life.I can’t wait to tell my children and all of my family members, they probably won’t believe it.” 

Larry did share the Gospel with his children and many others. Some accepted the message and believed in Jesus but others did not but Larry remained a steadfast witness of the Gospel. 

Years later as he was barbecuing for family and friends, Larry said to someone of his family, “I’m gonna rest for a while and rest he did: He breathed his last and would not be awakened on this evening because his soul had been transported to heaven where he would meet all those who had already been taken to their Heavenly home. I hope Larry was blessed to see his Dad he had never met but, to his delight, would be with him forever and ever!